It Is Never Really The Thing, But Only A Version Of The Thing... Why Collaborate in the Holistic Classroom? Learning to cooperate effectively is a keystone for successful relationships beyond education. There are rarely instances in an individual's lifespan that will render them completely isolated; the fact is, we are social beings! As such, it is especially imperative to provide student's with as many interacting opportunities as possible. It is in these moments that they are truly simultaneously deconstructing and constructing their knowledge. Students are able to learn the higher order thinking skills that the 21st century demands of them when they are presented with engaging tasks to challenge and help them critically analyze their ideas. Group situations expose students to differing perspectives and teach responsibility, ownership of learning, and respect for other people. They are able to question, "whose solution is it?" instead of merely accepting it for truth. Beyond that, they learn respect for the environment and the entire planet in a holistically encouraged curriculum that focuses on educating the whole person through their own directed learning. The beauty of a small, structured, heterogeneous group is that students are able to learn the content more meaningfully and must also help their group members in order to truly succeed.[1] In this respect, students begin to understand and navigate the delicate balance of the foundations of life -- the interdependence that connects us all through discovery of "others and [one] another, [and] experience of shared purposes throughout life".[2]
This Sounds Great! - How Can I Get On Board? Implementing collaborative efforts in the real or virtual classroom can pose a challenge to any educator, seasoned or fresh faced. How do you bring together the different personalities? How is conflict managed in the group? What students take on which roles in a group? Which curriculum approaches lend themselves best to cooperative learning? What if my students absolutely cannot get along? All of these are valid questions! Consider the Equinox Holistic Alternative School in Toronto District School Board. Their inquiry-based approach and problem solving model provide students with the ability to exercise their decision making skills in small groups -- something that the newly revised Full Day Kindergarten program in Ontario supports. Play based learning exploits to its fullest advantage the naturally inquisitive desire (especially by maximizing the learning time spent outdoors) in children to establish a foundation in cooperative learning that will benefit them in subsequent schooling years. Is A Cooperative Based Holistic Curriculum Only For Kindergarten? Of course not! Think of the new kindergarten curriculum as the roots of an everlasting tree of knowledge. Just like the tree, a child will continue to grow and develop, expanding on their skills as they move through their educational career. There must be many experiences across or integrated throughout the curriculum areas to ensure students can practice their collaborative techniques. One of the most important consideration in this process is that the problem-based curriculum is carefully planned by the teacher who acts as a facilitator, directed and propelled by student learning. Groups must be accountable for their actions, as an individual, and as a group to minimize and prevent conflict from arising. Before you decide on a holistic approach, consider what Allen, Duch, and Groh determined makes a good problem for groups:[3] They tell engaging stories in settings to which the students can relate, thus solidifying the eventual connection between theory and application. They are open-ended, challenging students to make and justify estimations and assumptions. They engender controversy or require decisions, so their solutions require students to demonstrate thinking skills beyond simple knowledge and comprehension. They are complex enough for students in each group to recognize the need to work together to succeed in arriving at a satisfactory conclusion So, you might be asking, "What does a collaborative effort look like in a holistic science lesson?" Well, let's brainstorm! Challenges must be relevant and meaningful to students; the connection to their lives must be clear. Students might be expected to work together in teams to create scaled model homes asenvironmentally friendly(i.e., energy efficient) and economical as possible; they could be asked to create clothing from sustainable textiles in groups; participate in nature/discovery walks; or even design and nurture a community garden. They can then record these reflections, findings, or observations as a group in a medium that suits their interests - through songs, dances, paintings, drawings, sketches, drama, or writing. No matter the curriculum area, students must be able to find the relevancy, lead their learning, and solve problems through their whole self in conjunction with others.
Cooperative Principles in Holistic Practice Physical education is an excellent curricular area to implement cooperative learning efforts. Students can be divided into Learning Teams where they each take turns sharing leadership and positions of responsibility. Groups are given challenges that can be completed as a team by following written or verbal tasks and giving each otherconstantfeedback about their performance. For example, you might encourage students might to express a theme or idea from a story through a dance or yoga routine, and teach it to their classmates. If the group lacks cohesion, support, and accountability, they will not be able to share with their classmates as effectively. You might even ask groups to create a jingle to remember the steps they took in solving a math problem; or write/perform a song for history to a well known beat or rhythm. Virtually any cooperative group activity can be applied to any curriculum lesson, at any grade level. The possibilities are yours to discover! Resources for Educators I encourage you to watch this video, Collaboration is an Individual Effort where Emily Eldridge discusses the importance of the "I" in team and their power as an individual in a group atmosphere.
In this video, HASTAC cofounder Cathy Davidson provides tips for listening, acknowledging, and successfully navigating group differences to celebrate the team's strengths.
Below is a list of more information about problem-based learning and cooperative learning strategies that can be easily modified to fit a holistic curriculum, in addition to some online collaboration tools...
Dyson, B., Griffin, L., L., & Hastie, P. (2004). Sport education, tactical games, and cooperative learning: Theoretical and pedagogical considerations. National Association for Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education, 56, 226-24.
Mahmoudi, S., Jafari, E., Nasrabadi, H. A., & Liaghatdar, M. J. (2012). Holistic education: An approach for 21 century. International Education Studies, 5(3), 178-186.
Why Collaborate in the Holistic Classroom?
Learning to cooperate effectively is a keystone for successful relationships beyond education. There are rarely instances in an individual's lifespan that will render them completely isolated; the fact is, we are social beings! As such, it is especially imperative to provide student's with as many interacting opportunities as possible. It is in these moments that they are truly simultaneously deconstructing and constructing their knowledge. Students are able to learn the higher order thinking skills that the 21st century demands of them when they are presented with engaging tasks to challenge and help them critically analyze their ideas. Group situations expose students to differing perspectives and teach responsibility, ownership of learning, and respect for other people. They are able to question, "whose solution is it?" instead of merely accepting it for truth. Beyond that, they learn respect for the environment and the entire planet in a holistically encouraged curriculum that focuses on educating the whole person through their own directed learning. The beauty of a small, structured, heterogeneous group is that students are able to learn the content more meaningfully and must also help their group members in order to truly succeed.[1] In this respect, students begin to understand and navigate the delicate balance of the foundations of life -- the interdependence that connects us all through discovery of "others and [one] another, [and] experience of shared purposes throughout life".[2]
This Sounds Great! - How Can I Get On Board?
Implementing collaborative efforts in the real or virtual classroom can pose a challenge to any educator, seasoned or fresh faced. How do you bring together the different personalities? How is conflict managed in the group? What students take on which roles in a group? Which curriculum approaches lend themselves best to cooperative learning? What if my students absolutely cannot get along? All of these are valid questions! Consider the Equinox Holistic Alternative School in Toronto District School Board. Their inquiry-based approach and problem solving model provide students with the ability to exercise their decision making skills in small groups -- something that the newly revised Full Day Kindergarten program in Ontario supports. Play based learning exploits to its fullest advantage the naturally inquisitive desire (especially by maximizing the learning time spent outdoors) in children to establish a foundation in cooperative learning that will benefit them in subsequent schooling years.
Is A Cooperative Based Holistic Curriculum Only For Kindergarten?
Of course not! Think of the new kindergarten curriculum as the roots of an everlasting tree of knowledge. Just like the tree, a child will continue to grow and develop, expanding on their skills as they move through their educational career. There must be many experiences across or integrated throughout the curriculum areas to ensure students can practice their collaborative techniques. One of the most important consideration in this process is that the problem-based curriculum is carefully planned by the teacher who acts as a facilitator, directed and propelled by student learning. Groups must be accountable for their actions, as an individual, and as a group to minimize and prevent conflict from arising. Before you decide on a holistic approach, consider what Allen, Duch, and Groh determined makes a good problem for groups:[3]
They tell engaging stories in settings to which the students can relate, thus solidifying the eventual connection between theory and application. They are open-ended, challenging students to make and justify estimations and assumptions. They engender controversy or require decisions, so their solutions require students to demonstrate thinking skills beyond simple knowledge and comprehension. They are complex enough for students in each group to recognize the need to work together to succeed in arriving at a satisfactory conclusion
So, you might be asking, "What does a collaborative effort look like in a holistic science lesson?" Well, let's brainstorm! Challenges must be relevant and meaningful to students; the connection to their lives must be clear. Students might be expected to work together in teams to create scaled model homes asenvironmentally friendly(i.e., energy efficient) and economical as possible; they could be asked to create clothing from sustainable textiles in groups; participate in nature/discovery walks; or even design and nurture a community garden. They can then record these reflections, findings, or observations as a group in a medium that suits their interests - through songs, dances, paintings, drawings, sketches, drama, or writing. No matter the curriculum area, students must be able to find the relevancy, lead their learning, and solve problems through their whole self in conjunction with others.
Cooperative Principles in Holistic Practice
Physical education is an excellent curricular area to implement cooperative learning efforts. Students can be divided into Learning Teams where they each take turns sharing leadership and positions of responsibility. Groups are given challenges that can be completed as a team by following written or verbal tasks and giving each otherconstantfeedback about their performance. For example, you might encourage students might to express a theme or idea from a story through a dance or yoga routine, and teach it to their classmates. If the group lacks cohesion, support, and accountability, they will not be able to share with their classmates as effectively. You might even ask groups to create a jingle to remember the steps they took in solving a math problem; or write/perform a song for history to a well known beat or rhythm. Virtually any cooperative group activity can be applied to any curriculum lesson, at any grade level. The possibilities are yours to discover!
Resources for Educators
I encourage you to watch this video, Collaboration is an Individual Effort where Emily Eldridge discusses the importance of the "I" in team and their power as an individual in a group atmosphere.
In this video, HASTAC cofounder Cathy Davidson provides tips for listening, acknowledging, and successfully navigating group differences to celebrate the team's strengths.
Below is a list of more information about problem-based learning and cooperative learning strategies that can be easily modified to fit a holistic curriculum, in addition to some online collaboration tools...
Try taking the "What Type of Collaborator Quiz Are You?" & post your results in the Discussion area!
Dyson, B., Griffin, L., L., & Hastie, P. (2004). Sport education, tactical games, and cooperative learning: Theoretical and pedagogical considerations. National Association for Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education, 56, 226-24.
Mahmoudi, S., Jafari, E., Nasrabadi, H. A., & Liaghatdar, M. J. (2012). Holistic education: An approach for 21 century. International Education Studies, 5(3), 178-186.
Davis, B., G. (1999). Cooperative learning: Students working in small groups. Stanford University Newsletter on Teaching, 10(2), 1-4. Retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Newsletter/cooperative.pdf